Review of "the Romeo and Juliet Code"

"The Romeo and Juliet Code"

by Phoebe Stone

My Rating:

Pub. Date: January 1st, 2011

Pages: 297

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Source: Borrowed From Library

Edition: Hardcover

Synopsis: Felicity's glamorous parents have a secret. When they leave her with distant relatives in Maine, Felicity hopes they won't leave her long. Her new Uncle Gideon hides things. Her Aunt Miami is star-crossed. And Derek, a kid her age, refuses to leave his room.

But Felicity needs Derek's help. Gideon is getting coded letters from Felicity's parents, and she's sure they're in trouble. Can Felicity crack the code, heal the family and save her parents, all while surviving her first crush? It's a tall order, but - like THE SECRET GARDEN'S Mary Lennox before her - Felicity's up for the challenge.

Don't judge this book by its cover! "The Romeo and Juliet Code" is a historical fiction book about WWII. I really enjoyed this book, but I probably wouldn't have picked it up because it just looked like a cute romance. There was much more to this book than romance. Felicity, the main character, is struggling to understand the events going on around her. Her parents left her to live with an aunt, uncle, grandma, and "cousin" she had never met. She doesn't understand why her parents cannot be with her and what problems exist between the family to keep them apart for so long. Felicity must find a way to make Maine her new home while she waits for her parents to come back.

The characters in this book had unique personalities. I loved seeing how Felicity changed throughout the book. She continued to be inquisitive and bold, but she was able to handle difficult information in a more mature manner. Aunt Minnie and Uncle Gideon were fun to read about. I wish they were my aunt and uncle. They brought Felicity into their home and did there best to make her feel at home. Watching Felicity's relationship with Derek grow was also really enjoyable.

If your interested hasn't been piqued yet then I should mention that there is lot of mysteries to uncover throughout the book. What are with Felicity's parents? Why wont Uncle Gideon play the piano anymore? Why didn't the family communicate until recently?

"The Romeo and Juliet Code" is a great book. Even though I found the book to be a bit predictable, the other elements in the book outweighed the predictability of the plot. I really thought this book was a great balance of historical fiction, mystery, and a bit of a love story.

Review of "Forever"

Forever 

by Maggie Stiefvater

My Rating:

Pub. Date: July 12, 2011

Pages: 400

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc

Source: Purchased

Edition: Hardcover

Synopsis: In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

"Forever" is a great ending to a wonderful series.  I loved the first two books in the "Wolves of Mercy Falls" series and "Forever" left me content even if I was a bit sad.  I liked the new spin on werewolves and the romance between Grace and Sam in the series.  I have to say I was disappointed in the lack of Sam and Grace interaction at the beginning of the book.  I know this was to be expected, but it just went too long without it.  Their connection as wolves almost makes up for the lack of connection between them at the beginning of the book.

The beginning of the book went very slowly for me.  Even though there were things happening, I was kind of wondering when the book would really start.  Luckily, once "Forever" got started it held me until the end.

I did like learning more about Cole.  It was nice to see a different side of him.  He seemed like a bizarre addition to the wolves, but I understood why Beck chose him by the end of "Forever".  He is also a great comic relief in the book and is pretty crush worthy.  He lightens up the mood when Sam starts brooding too much.  I also LOVED seeing him interact with Isabel.

If drool worthy male characters, romance, and werewolves aren't enough to keep your interest then there is also the plan to wipe out the entire pack.  Isabel's father has finally had enough and he is taking out all the stops to destroy these wolves.

"Forever" is a good book, but it has its faults.  Maggie's writing is beautiful as ever and I enjoyed the new text color.  I just really wanted to see more of a connection between Grace and Sam.  I was completely satisfied with the ending and was a bit sad that the series was over.  If highly recommend reading the author's notes at the end of the book!

Review of "Blood Red Road"

Blood Red Road 

by Moira Young

My rating

Pub. Date: June 7th 2011

Pages: 459

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Library

Edition: Hardcover and Audio CDs

Synopsis: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives bearing four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on a quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Overall, I really enjoyed "Blood Red Road". The characters were great and the plot was fantastic. My major problem with the book is that I found it difficult to read because of the punctuation. I know this sounds kind of weird, but the fact that quotation marks weren't used really took a while for my brain to get used to. I kept getting confused about what was being said and what was an action. It also didn't help that I left my book at work and then started a new one while I was in the middle of "Blood Red Road" so I had to get used to the lack of quotation marks all over again. I know it shouldn't be that difficult on people, but my brain can get confused easily when it comes to reading. My other problem was that I just didn't like Saba for about a fourth of the book. I thought she was just cruel to her sister. My option completely changed by the end, but it was difficult for me to get over.

I like how “Blood Red Road” didn’t just focus on Saba’s search for Lugh. Saba learned a lot on her journey about both the world around her and herself. She was put in situations where she was forced to make tough decisions. Her journey to find her brother became so much larger as she learned more about the world around her. Even while fighting for her life, Saba couldn’t help but notice the plight of the people surrounding her. Whatever Saba thought of her father while he was alive, she had to realize that he was able to protect his children from horrors they couldn’t even imagine. I liked being able to see Saba grow through the book as her journey developed and morphed. Her original goal stayed the same, but as her social consciousness and self-awareness grew, Saba realized that she had a chance to drastically alter the course of humanity.

“Blood Red Road” has a great mix that will be a winner for many readers. It has action, adventure, mystery, violence, a bit of romance, a strong female character, a civilization full of evil, and great characters. Once I got into the book, I was able to fly through it in only a couple of days. I got so hooked on the book that I was actually listening to the audio book in the car and at the gym, reserving the book for every other free moment. I would recommend “Blood Red Road” to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, especially to fans of grittier novels like “The Hunger Games”, “Maze Runner”, and “Ship Breaker”.

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Review of "Drink, Slay, Love"

"Drink, Slay, Love"
Sarah Beth Durst

4

Pub. Date: September 13th 2011
Pages: 385
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books


Synopsis:  Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops. 

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

I have read so many vampire romance books that I am kind of sick of them.  Even though I haven't had much of an interest in them this year, I was pretty excited to learn about "Drink, Slay Love".  I enjoyed "Ice" and "Enchanted Ivy" tremendously and I wasn't disappointed in "Drink, Slay, Love".  I have to admit I wasn't sure how the vampire and unicorn combination would work, but Sarah pulled it off.  This book does make fun of the vampire romance genre a bit, but in a playful way. 

I always love Sarah’s characters and her new cast is no exception.  Pearl is rough and sometimes cruel, but her attitude hooked me into this book.  She really struggles with the changes that come with being a vampire awake during the day.  On top of her new schedule, she is having feelings that go against all her natural instincts.  I loved Pearl’s cast of friends even if they were corny and uber sweet at times, it just worked.  The unicorn, which Pearl endearingly names “Mr. Sparkly-and-Pointy”, has personality.  All the vampires are unique, especially Antoinette who is obsessed with 80s pop-culture.

"Drink, Slay, Love" has drama, comedy, heart, unicorns, vampires, a bit of romance, and a splash of danger… what else could you possibly ask for?  This book was very fun and I breezed through it in only a couple of days.  I love the fact that "Drink, Slay, Love" doesn't take itself too seriously.  I would recommend this book to people who like paranormal romance, vampire books, comedies, and/or are fans of other of Sarah Beth Durst's books.


*I did receive a free copy of this book for review.

Review of "Monster High"

"Monster High"
Lisi Harrison


 

5

Pub. Date: September 7th, 2010
Pages: 255
Publisher: Poppy

Synopsis: From Lisi Harrison, the New York Times bestselling author of The Clique and Alphas, comes a new series with a fresh twist on high school, romance, and the "horrors" of trying to fit in. 

The monster community has kept a low profile at the local high school, but when two new girls enroll, the town will never be the same. Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and prom.

But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters stalking the halls, Frankie learns that high school can be rough for a chic freak like her. She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver-but can a "normie" be trusted with her big secret?

I have to admit that this book didn't really appeal to me because I was never interested in reading any of Lisi Harrison's other books.  The only reason I read this book was because it was on audio book and I had heard good things about it.  After being so skeptical I am shocked to report that I LOVED "Monster High"!  The book was funny and the characters were interesting.  Even characters I thought I would hate grew on me once I learned more about them.  They all had more depth than being beautiful, bitchy, or a paranormal.   I think my favorite character had to be Frankie.  I didn't always agree with her actions and knew she was going to cause trouble, I knew she was only doing what she felt best.  I found it very brave that she was willing to put herself out there whether people liked it or not.  I also liked how she was so into pop culture and had her own catchphrase.  She just had a unique style and personality.

I was also presently surprised with the world that Lisi Harrison created.  It was somehow realistic even though there were monsters everywhere.  She creates her own monster history that is entertaining and adds some believability to the story.  I loved how the monsters were able to mix in with humans and found tricks to hiding their true identities.  I also have to say I like how gung-ho the school got into all the monster drama that started to unfold.  The love stories were pretty expected, but they were still entertaining.  My favorite thing about this book was how it was all about identity and being true to yourself.  I usually struggle with books that have multiple perspectives, but I really enjoyed seeing how Frankie's and Melody's worlds collided.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy paranormal books, especially those who enjoy humor.  "Monster High" reminded me of something Meg Cabot would write.  It is definitely worth giving a try and if Frankie or Melody don't suck you in at the beginning then at least you gave it a shot.  Especially if you are a person who enjoys monster movies or classic horror books.  I totally got a kick out of seeing all my favorite monsters as teenagers.  I will definitely read more in the Monster High series, but I'm still unsure about reading"The Clique" or "Alphas"... I might come around eventually though.